There are 4 ICD-9-CM codes below 296.8 that define this diagnosis in greater detail. Do not use this code on a reimbursement claim.

Clinical Information

A major affective disorder marked by severe mood swings (manic or major depressive episodes) and a tendency to remission and recurrence

A major affective disorder marked by severe mood swings (manic or major depressive episodes) and a tendency to remission and recurrence. (mesh)

Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness. People who have it go through unusual mood changes. They go from very happy, "up," and active to very sad and hopeless, "down," and inactive, and then back again. They often have normal moods in between. The up feeling is called mania. The down feeling is depression. The causes of bipolar disorder aren't always clear. It runs in families. Abnormal brain structure and function may also play a role. Bipolar disorder often starts in a person's late teen or early adult years. But children and adults can have bipolar disorder too. The illness usually lasts a lifetime.if you think you may have it, tell your health care provider. A medical checkup can rule out other illnesses that might cause your mood changes.if not treated, bipolar disorder can lead to damaged relationships, poor job or school performance, and even suicide. However, there are effective treatments to control symptoms: medicine and talk therapy. A combination usually works best. nih: national institute of mental health

ICD-9-CM codes are used in medical billing and coding to describe diseases, injuries, symptoms and conditions. ICD-9-CM 296.8 is one of thousands of ICD-9-CM codes used in healthcare. Although ICD-9-CM and CPT codes are largely numeric, they differ in that CPT codes describe medical procedures and services. Can't find a code? Start at the root of ICD-9-CM, check the 2015 ICD-9-CM Index or use the search engine at the top of this page to lookup any code.